The Good Doctor (2011)
*** (out of 4)
Orlando Bloom plays Dr. Martin Blake, a man with a good job, a nice car, a fine apartment and he appears to have anything you'd want but he's actually quite lonely. He thinks he finds someone special in a young patient (Riley Keough) who is suffering from a kidney disease but soon the doctor's kindness turns to obsession. THE GOOD DOCTOR has gotten some fairly negative reviews but I think they were a bit unfair. Yes, if you're wanting a film that's going to explain everything to you then it's best to skip this one. In fact, we never really learn why Martin is so lonely, why he can't seem to connect with people and we really don't even get to know why he wants to be a doctor or why he becomes obsessed. This is one of those independent movies that wants to make the viewer do a lot of thinking and while it's not a complete success I still found the story compelling and the performances very good. Bloom was perfect in his role as the doctor and with the haircut and performance style I really couldn't help but think of Anthony Perkins in PSYCHO. The performance here certainly isn't legendary like that one but I found a lot of similarities between the characters. Bloom really does a great job at playing this lonely character and you believe it just by the sadness that his eyes carry. I always say that acting with your eyes can be the hardest thing to do yet Bloom gets so much across here. I also really liked Riley Keough in the role of the patient who forms this special bond with the doctor. The actors have some great chemistry together. Taraji P. Henson is excellent in her role as a nurse who doesn't get along with the doctor and we get nice support from Michael Pena and Rob Morrow. There are parts of the story that certainly don't work but I must admit that the film kept me on the edge of my seat because I was never quite certain where it was going to go or how everything was going to play out. I won't ruin the ending but I think it worked just fine but I'm sure everyone will take something different away from it.
